The Al Quds Centre for Social-Economic Rights condemned on Friday the decision by the Israeli Interior Minister Ronny Bar-On to revoke the Jerusalem residency of four top Hamas officials.
The Minister of Jerusalem Affairs, Khalid Abu Arafa, and three members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), Muhammad Abu Tir, Muhammad Tutah and Ahmad Attoun, are all Jerusalemites, or Palestinians who hold residency identity cards for Jerusalem.
Except for Muhammad Tutah, the other three men were seized during the Israeli army’s abduction campaign of Hamas leaders, conducted on Wednesday night.
The centre described this decision as "very dangerous" as, in addition to this decision coming just days after their abduction, the order not only includes these four officials but also their families and children.
The manager of the centre, Ziad Al Hammori, warned of the consequences that this decision may have on all Jerusalemites as they may all become subject to this procedure. Al Hammori pointed out that this policy has been going on for ten years or more.
He considered the Israeli measures "illegal" and "invalid" and described the move as a "breach of international law", which does not recognize the Israeli occupation of the holy city.
